Standard Lemma guide

sentient

adj · noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈsɛn.ti.ənt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ˈsɛn.ʃi.ənt/
  • US: /ˈsɛn.ʃənt/

1

adj

Meaning 1

Experiencing sensation, thought, or feeling.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Consider fish, who are apparently sentient yet cognitively extremely primitive in comparison with humans.
  • Obviously, other morally relevant considerations would apply to the case of a sentient fetus, as by acquiring sentience it acquires interests and moral status.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: aware

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Able to consciously perceive through the use of sense faculties.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sensate, aware

Antonyms: insensate

3

adj

Meaning 3

Possessing human-like awareness and intelligence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

Topics: literature, media, publishing, science-fiction

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sapient, intelligent, sentient, self-aware

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Lifeform with the capability to feel sensation, such as pain.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

An intelligent, self-aware being.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

Topics: literature, media, publishing, science-fiction

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective

Meaning 6

endowed with feeling and unstructured consciousness- T.E.Lawrence

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the living knew themselves just sentient puppets on God's stage

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: animate

Antonyms: insentient

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

consciously perceiving- W.A.White

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • sentient of the intolerable load
  • a boy so sentient of his surroundings

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Latin sentiēns (“feeling, perceiving”), present active participle of sentiō.

Across languages

Translations

57 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: حَسَّاس (ḥassās) — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Armenian: զգայուն (zgayun) — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Bulgarian: усещащ (useštašt) — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Chinese Mandarin: 感受的 — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Czech: vnímající — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Czech: cítící — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Dutch: met gevoel — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Finnish: tunteva — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • French: sensible — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • French: doué de sensation — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • German: fühlend — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Greek: αισθητηριοσυνειδησιακός (aisthitiriosyneidisiakós) — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Greek: αισθητηριοσυνειδησιακή (aisthitiriosyneidisiakí) — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Greek: αισθητηριοσυνειδησιακό (aisthitiriosyneidisiakó) — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Greek: αισθητήριος (aisthitírios) — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Hungarian: érzó — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Italian: senziente — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Japanese: 意識する (ishiki suru) — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Japanese: 感覚力のある (kankaku-ryoku no aru) — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Japanese: 知覚する (chikaku suru) — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Japanese: 敏感な (binkan na) — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Malay: berperasaan — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Portuguese: senciente — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Romanian: conștient — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Russian: чу́вствующий (čúvstvujuščij) — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Russian: ощуща́ющий (oščuščájuščij) — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Spanish: sensible — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Spanish: con sentidos — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Spanish: sintiente — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Spanish: sentiente (DPD, Fundéu) — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Swedish: kännande — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Tagalog: lantad — experiencing sensation, perceiving, thinking, or feeling
  • Arabic: عَاقِل (ʕāqil) — able to consciously perceive through the use of sense faculties
  • Armenian: գիտակից (gitakicʻ) — able to consciously perceive through the use of sense faculties
  • Bulgarian: съзнателен (sǎznatelen) — able to consciously perceive through the use of sense faculties
  • Czech: vnímavý — able to consciously perceive through the use of sense faculties
  • Czech: schopný vnímat — able to consciously perceive through the use of sense faculties
  • Dutch: bewust — able to consciously perceive through the use of sense faculties
  • Finnish: tietoinen — able to consciously perceive through the use of sense faculties
  • French: conscient — able to consciously perceive through the use of sense faculties
  • Greek: ευαίσθητος (evaísthitos) — able to consciously perceive through the use of sense faculties
  • Japanese: 感覚を持つ (ishiki o motsu) — able to consciously perceive through the use of sense faculties
  • Japanese: 意識する (ishiki suru) — able to consciously perceive through the use of sense faculties
  • Japanese: 敏感な — able to consciously perceive through the use of sense faculties
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sansende — able to consciously perceive through the use of sense faculties
  • Polish: przytomny — able to consciously perceive through the use of sense faculties
  • Russian: разу́мный (razúmnyj) — able to consciously perceive through the use of sense faculties
  • Russian: созна́тельный (soznátelʹnyj) — able to consciously perceive through the use of sense faculties
  • Spanish: consciente — able to consciously perceive through the use of sense faculties
  • Spanish: sentiente (DPD, Fundéu) — able to consciously perceive through the use of sense faculties
  • Spanish: sintiente — able to consciously perceive through the use of sense faculties
  • Armenian: բանական (banakan) — science fiction: possessing human-like awareness, knowledge and intelligence
  • Armenian: բանականություն ունեցող (banakanutʻyun unecʻoġ) — science fiction: possessing human-like awareness, knowledge and intelligence
  • Finnish: älyllinen — science fiction: possessing human-like awareness, knowledge and intelligence
  • French: sentient — science fiction: possessing human-like awareness, knowledge and intelligence
  • Russian: разу́мный (razúmnyj) — science fiction: possessing human-like awareness, knowledge and intelligence
  • Spanish: sapiente — science fiction: possessing human-like awareness, knowledge and intelligence
Real reading context

sentient in complete knowledge articles